World Museum Of Mining

On July 31, 1997 I visited the World Museum of Mining next to Highlands College of Montana Tech in Butte, Montana.

This is located at the surface facilities for the Orphan Girl Mine.

Founded in 1963, the World Museum of Mining is located on a mining yard, with the 100-foot Orphan Girl Mine headframe still intact, along with many other buildings and machines. Even the showers are still in place. It's as close as most people will ever get to one of the iconic Butte headframes or to understanding what life working underground was like.

The headframe of the Orphan Girl Mine was moved in 1925 from the Colorado Mine in East Butte. Headframes were used to raise and lower men from the mines at a stomach-jolting 800 feet per minute — about twice as fast as an elevator. The headframe lifted ore about twice as fast.

The Orphan Girl Mine (so named because it was a distance from the rest of the mines) produced more than 7.5 million ounces of silver from 1875-1956, according to the museum.

It was raining when I got there so I started with the town since I could go inside part of the time.

The rain soon quit fortunately.

Also saw some almost pet rabbits who live in the area.

Some displays in the hoist house included a player piano which I put my 50 cents in to hear.

Bought a cassette tape of 20 songs played on the piano.

UPDATE 2013: From viewing the website it can be seen that the World Museum of Mining has added much to their exhibits and information since I visited in 1997.

Model of a Mine, World Museum of Mining, Butte, Montana

Stamp Mill, World Museum of Mining, Butte, Montana

Orphan Girl Headframe, World Museum of Mining, Butte, Montana

Hoist Cars, World Museum of Mining, Butte, Montana

Hoist Cars for Orphan Girl Mine. Car on right was for people only, other cars for ore and mules, World Museum of Mining

A notable component of the museum is Hell Roarin' Gulch, a faithful re-creation of an 1890s mining town, with 50 buildings, some historical structures and some created by volunteers from old materials by the many volunteers who put the museum together from the mid-1960s to the 1980s..

The buildings are fully stocked with thousands of period artifacts. From letters from home in Chinese at the Quong Fong Laundry to wooden skis in the Hell Roaring Ranger Station to Orphan Girl Mine statistics on a page in the press at the Hellroaring Gulch Print Shop, the buildings are stocked with historical artifacts.

The town includes several buildings that were brought in as complete, original, historic structures, including two churches, the school house, superintendent’s house, and others.

Very well done and interesting - complete with a printed guide.

Hell Roaring Gulch 'Town', World Museum of Mining, Butte, Montana

Nicholodian & German Tourist, World Museum of Mining.

This 1916 Seeburg H Model Orchestrion was donated to the museum by Chester Steele. a former officer of the Anaconda Company.

Play these 19 songs recorded from this Nickolodian:

Seeburg Style H Orchestrion plays Barney Google.

All about the Seeburg Style H Orchestrion

These are very rare. Fewer than four dozen original Seeburg Style H's are believed to exist today. A refurbished one sold for $138,000 in 2012.